Prefabricated synthetic resin bonded tile wall unit



June 27, 1967 P. C. HERMANN FREFABRICATED SYNTHETIC RESIN BONDED TILEWALL UNIT 5 Sheets-Sheet l Filed June 23, 1964 PAUL C. HERMANN June 27,1967 P. c. HERMANN PREFABRICATED SYNTHETIC RESIN BONDED TILE WALL UNI] 5Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 23, 1964 PAUL C. HERMANN INVENTOR.

PRESSURE SENSITIVE SHEET @ow ATTORNEYS June 27, 1967 P. c. HERMANN3,327,442

PREFABRCTBD S'NTHETC RESIN BONDEU TILE WALL UNIT Filed June 25, 1964 5Sheets-Sheet E BY F/G. 2O @man Hg@ ATTORNEYS United States Patent O3,327,442 PREFABRICA'IED SYNTHETIC RESIN BONDED TILE WALL UNIT Paul C.Hermann, Castro Valley, Caiif., assigner to Gail International, SanFrancisco, Calif., a corporation of California Filed .lune 23, 1964,Ser. No. 377,301 3 Claims. (Cl. 52-309) This invention relates to aunique prefabricated structural unit for building walls that combines anintegral frame with a masonry veneer material. It also relates to amethod for making such units.

A conventional form of construction, particularly with houses, is thebrick veneer type wherein the bricks cover a standard frame structureproducing an attractive brick exterior but do not provide any loadbearing function. One major drawback with such walls is that they mustbe built up on the site using traditional bricklaying procedures whichare costly and time consuming.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide aprefabricated building wall unit comprised of a plurality of masonryblocks or tile members secured together in a predetermined surfacepattern arrangement and also to an integral frame portion having loadbearing capabilities, the entire unit being compatible :with and readilyconnectable to other conventional building frame members to form a Wall.

Another object of my invention is to provide a method for fabricating mybuilding wall units which enables them to be constructed with a highdegree of quality control and at a rapid rate.

Another more specic object of the present invention is to provide aprefabricated building unit having an exterior facing of relatively thinceramic tile members or the like supported by and bonded together incombination with a wooden frame by a time setting or thermosettingplastic material. The wood frame portions of my building units arespaced land arranged so that they are easily installed and connectedwith other building frame members to construct a building wall. Such awall can be erected easily with a minimum of time and labor. Wheninstalled, my building units present the appearance of an expertlyerected wall of conventional brick or any other masonry material, whileon the inside, the frame members of the unit provide space forinsulation, wiring and the like.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a prefabricated unitfor building walls comprised of a plurality of masonry blocks or tilemembers and a frame portion bonded together by a time setting orthermosetting plastic material, wherein the blocks or tile members arepreshaped and arranged to form cavities for the plastic material when itflows before setting, thereby keying blocks or tile members together toform a strong layer integral with the frame.

An important feature of my structural building units is that they canhave any predetermined exterior design pattern according to thearrangement of ceramic or clay tiles having various shapes and asubstantially uniformi thickness. The frame members `of the unit arespaced apart and arranged so as to be easily connectable with theconventional basic frame members of a building so that a complicatedspecial design of the building is not required to accommodate the units.This unique construction provides a building wall unit that is not onlyattractive, but also 3,327,442 Patented June 27, 1967 ICC strong,durable and easy to install. Moreover, it enables the units to befactory made in large numbers so the cost per unit is low as comparedwith on site construction.

Other objects, advantages and features of the invention will becomeapparent from the following detailed description, together with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a View in perspective showing a building wall unit embodyingthe principles of the invention, portions of the unit being broken awayto show the interior structure;

FIG. 1A is a view in section taken along the line 1A-1A of FIG. l;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view in perspective showing the building wallyunit of FIG. l before it is completely assembled and lwith portionsbroken away to show details;

FIG. 3 is a view in perspective showing a typical tile member used inconstructing a building wall unit according to the invention;

FIG. 4 is a View in elevation showing a portion of a building utilizingwall units embodying the features of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a view in section taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a view in section taken along the line 6-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a view in section taken along the line 7-7 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a view in section taken along the line 8--8 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary plan view showing a typical interior cornerinstallation of the building wall units according to the invention;

FIG. 10 is an end view showing how a beam may be cut to form a pair ofbeveled side frame members for a modilied form of my building wall unit;and

FIG. 1l is a fragmentary plan view of a corner construction using themodiiied form of my building wall units.

With reference to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a completed building wallunit 20 embodying the principles of the invention. In broad terms theunit 20 comprises an exterior masonry like facing 21 in combination witha lirmly attached integral frame 22. The facing 21 is a masonry veneermade up of a plurality of ceramic or clay tile members 23 or some otherblock members of any suitable material arranged in a predeterminedpattern and bonded together by a bonding material 24 which also securesthe frame as an integral part of the unit 20.

Although they are shown as rectangular in the drawing -for illustrativepurposes, the tile members 23 may have any plan form shape and evenirregular shaped members simulating stone or -other materials can beused within the scope of the invention. However, these tile members havea substantially uniform thickness which may be of the order of one halfinch. A typical tile mem-ber 23 which is well adapted for use in formingmy building unit 20 is shown separately in FIG. 3. It has therectangular shape so that when arranged with other such tiles they cansimulate an actual brick wall. The front face 25 of the tile member 23is relatively smooth and may be provided with any suitable color ortexture. The rear face 26, however, may be provided with a pair oflongitudinal slots 27 which are undercut slightly in cross section. Theimportant structural details of the building unit 20 can best be shownby describing my unique method of assembling such units.

The first step in my method for fabricating the building wall unit is toarrange a plurality of tile members such as the member 23 spaced apartslightly from each other in a desired predetermined pattern. As shown inFIG. 2, the tiles 23 are placed face down, preferably on a sheet 28having an upper layer of pressure sensitive adhesive material to holdthe tiles in place. In order to place the tile members on the sheet 28in the arrangement desired, with the proper uniform spacing betweentiles, a metal grille can be used. Such a grille (not shown) can merelybe placed on the sheet 28 as a guide when the tile members are initiallyset in place. It can then be removed before the next step in forming theunit 20 takes place.

With tile members 23 properly placed and held in position on thepressure sensitive sheet 28, a layer of bonding material 24 can beapplied to the rear upper sides 26 of the tile members. VThe bondingmaterial fills in between the tilemembers and a uniform layer of itfully covers their rear sides, the thickness of the layer beingsubstantial (e.g., 1A to 1/2 inch). As stated previously, the bondingmaterial 24 not only serves to hold the tile members 23 together, butalso to bond the frame 22 to the tile members. In accordance with theinvention, the bonding materialis comprised of a time setting orthermosetting plastic such as any suitable epoxy type. A filler materialsuch as sand, talc or some other suitable granular or powder material ispreferable, mixed in with the plastic, depending on the type of wallunit desired. For a mortar effect, sand is most desirable and it hasother additional advantages of being low in cost and also lireresistant.

The third step of forming my building wall unit 2@ is to provide andattach the frame 22. It is preferably made from wood such as 2 by 4sarranged, spaced apart, and fastened together in the conventionalmanner. For some building applications, steel studscould be utilized forthe frame 22 in lieu of the conventional wood framing. For example, thewall unit 20y may have a length equal to a normal house wall height andits width may be some multiple (e.g., 3) of the normal 16 inches oncenter. Thus, the completed Wall section 20 can be joined together withother like sections in erecting the walls of a house. Other frameshaving various shapes can be made to accommodate windows and otherpartsof the house. The frame 22 shown in FIG. `l has a pair of longitudinalside members 29 and 30 connected to a pair of end members 31 and 32, andparallel to the side mem-bers are a pair of spaced apart members 33 and34 which are equivalen-t to wall studs.

Covering one side of the frame 22 I prefer to attach to the wood frame22, as by staples, a section of wire mesh 35 (e.g. l X l inch). If steelstuds are used in the frame 22 the mesh may be welded thereto. This meshis important in my building unit because it helps in maintainingstructural integrity under severe loading conditions, thereby increasingoverall strength and durability.

With the bonding material 24 still in the soft deformablestage, theframe 22 is pressed downwardly into position until all 'of the framemembers are bearing substantially directly against the rear sides 26 ofthe tile members along the edges of the unit, The wire mesh 35 pushesinto and becomes embedded within the layer of bonding materialsubstantially adjacent the rear side of or closely 'adjacent to all ofthe tile members (see FIG. 1A).

The bonding material 24 is now allowed to harden and when this occurs,the frame 22, the mesh 35, the tile members 23 and the bonding material24 have formed an integral structural unit.

When the tile members 23 having the grooves or slots `27 are used tomake the building unit 20, the bonding material naturally fills thesegrooves when applied. Thus, when the bonding material hardens, theportion 36 within the grooves provides a locking, integral tie thatsecures each tile member in place (see FIG. 1A). The tile members 23having the longitudinal undercut slots 27 are a preferred form of thiscomponent of the invention because the grooves are effective to provideadditional strength when required and are easily formed when the tilemembers are manufactured by an extrusion process. However, other formsof tile members could be used in making my building wall units within.the scope of the invention. For example, I may utilize tile members withgrooves along their narrow sides, and such grooves would also becomeiilled with ybonding material to form a locking tie portion during theconstruction of a building unit. By using a plastic with sucientadhesive properties, no keying of the tiles would be required and planebacked tiles could be utilized within the scope of the invention InFIGS. 4 to 1l I have illustrated several different ways in which mybuilding wall units 20- are utilized in actual construction. FIGS. 4 and5 show a typical house` structure having a concrete slab foundation 37,an upright corner frame member 38,and a roof 39. The latter comprisesceiling joists `or rafters 40 supporting a top sheeting 41 and a faciapiece 42. The ceiling joists 40r rest on a plate 43 that extendscontinuously along the top of the building units 2i) joining themtogether. A building w-all member 2t) of the proper dimensions andhaving its peripheral wood frame, can now be easily placed in positionand attached to the frame structure provided. For

example, FIGS. 4, 5 and 7 show how a unit 2i) is attached` at one sideto the corner frame member 38 and at its top to the plate 43. FIG. 8shows the unit 2t) bearing directly -on the foundation slab 37. FIG. 6shows how building units 2li can be connected together without anintermediate frame member. FIG. 9 shows an interior corner constructionutilizing an upright corner frame member 38. FIGS. 10 and ll show amodied frame structure 22a with side frame members 44 that are beveledso that the upright corner members 38 can be eliminated if desired.

The arrangements of FIGS. 4 to 11 are merely illustrative `of the 4manyapplications of my unique building wall unit 2d in the construction ofhouses and buildings. The important advantages and inherent versatilitythereof should now be readily appa-rent from the foregoing description.

To those skilled in the art to which this invention relates, manychanges in construction and widely diifering embodiments andapplications of the invention will suggest themselves without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention. The disclosures and thedescription herein are purely illustrative and are not intended to be inany sense limiting.

I claim:

1. A prefabricated building wall unit comprising in combination:

a plurality of tile members having a substantially uniform thickness andarranged in a predetermined spaced apart relationship, the front sidesof said tile members having relatively smooth surfaces which are exposedand substantially coplanar and forming the front exterior of said unit;

a preassembled frame having intermediate spaced apart longitudinalmembers, said frame for-ming the rear side of said unit with the edgesof said frame closely adjacent to said tile members;

a cementitious bonding material including a synthetic resin binder and aquantity of particulate solids mixed therein, said material lling thespaces between and covering the rear sides of said tile members and inrcontact with the frame;

and a wire mesh secured to and covering one side of said frame andembedded within said bonding material adjacent said tile members;

whereby said unit is an integral assembly adaptable for installation ina building to form a wall thereof.

2. The building wall unit as described in claim l wherein said frame isformed from interconnected wooden 2 X 4 members and has a rectangularconfiguration with said intermediate longitudinal members being spacedapart 16 inches on center.

3. The build-ing Wall unit as described in claim 1 wherein said tilemembers have longitudinally extending slots, said slots being filledwith the bonding material that covers the rear sides of said tilemembers, thereby forming integral key portions of said bonding materialtherein.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Warner 52-315 Anderson 52-390 XAberson 52-315 X Whiteside 52-344 X Reed 52-390 X Pottinger 527-389 XSiek 52-384 X Bernett 52f-309 Butcher 52-309 FRANK L. ABBOTT, PrimaryExaminer.

JOHN E. MURTAGH, Examiner.

1. A PREFABRICATED BUILDING WALL UNIT COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: APLURALITY OF TILE MEMBERS HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFROM THICKNESS ANDARRANGED IN A PREDETERMINED SPACED APART RELATIONSHIP, THE FRONT SIDESOF SAID TILE MEMBERS HAVING RELATIVELY SMOOTH SURFACES WHICH ARE EXPOSEDAND SUBSTANTIALL COPLANAR AND FORMING THE FRONT EXTERIOR OF SAID UNIT; APREASSEMBLED FRAME HAVING INTERMEDIATE SPACED APART LONGITUDINALMEMBERS, SAID FRAME FORMING THE REAR SIDE OF SAID UNIT WITH THE EDGES OFSAID FRAME CLOSELY ADJACENT TO SAID TILE MEMBERS; A CEMENTITIOUS BONDINGMATERIAL INCLUDING A SYNTHETIC RESIN BINDER AND A QUANTITY OFPARTICULATE SOLIDS MIXED THEREIN, SAID MATERIAL FILLING THE SPACESBETWEEN AND COVERING THE REAR SIDES OF SAID TILE MEMBERS AND IN CONTACTWITH THE FRAME; AND A WIRE MESH SECURED TO AND COVERING ONE SIDE OF SAIDFRAME AND EMBEDDED WITHIN SAID BONDING MATERIAL ADJACENT SAID TILEMEMBERS; WHEREBY SAID UNIT IS AN INTEGRAL ASSEMBLY ADAPTABLE FORINSTALLATION IN A BUILDING TO FORM A WALL THEREOF.